April is National Gardening Month, and rightly so. This is the time when nature starts to show signs of awakening from a long winter slumber, and buds begin making their presence known everywhere you go.
Here in the Mid-Atlantic region, we have a splendid variety of botanical locations to visit, from parks to arboretums, and a bounty of botanical gardens to boot.
Here’s a sampling of just some of the best botanical gardens to explore this month throughout the DMV.
The District of Columbia
American University Arboretum and Gardens
4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016
www.american.edu
Dumbarton Oaks Garden
101 R St NW, 31st and R Streets NW, Washington, DC 20007
www.doaks.org
Enid A. Haupt Garden
Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20004
www.gardens.si.edu/gardens/haupt-garden
Floral Library
Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20004
Kathrine Dulin Folger Rose Garden
900 Jefferson Dr SW # 922, Washington, DC 20560
www.gardens.si.edu/gardens/folger-rose-garden
Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens
1550 Anacostia Ave NE, Washington, DC 20019
Tudor Place
1644 31st St NW, Washington, DC 20007
www.tudorplace.org
United States National Arboretum
3501 New York Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
United States Botanic Garden
100 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20001
Maryland
Adkins Arboretum
12610 Eveland Rd, Ridgley, MD 21660
Brookside Gardens
1800 Glenallan Ave, Wheaton, MD 20902
www.montgomeryparks.org
Cylburn Arboretum
4915 Greenspring Ave, Baltimore, MD 21209
www.cylburn.org
Heritage Museums and Gardens of Dorchester
1003 Greenway Dr, Cambridge, MD 21613
www.dorchesterhistory.com
Historic London Town and Gardens
839 Londontown Rd, Edgewater, MD 21037
Homestead Gardens
743 West Central Ave, Davidsonville, MD 21035
www.homesteadgardens.com
Howard County Conservancy
10520 Old Frederick Rd, Woodstock, MD 21163
www.howardnature.org
Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens
3100 Swann Dr, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, MD 21217
www.rawlingsconservatory.org
Ladew Topiary Gardens
535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, MD 21111
McCrillis Gardens
6910 Greentree Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817
www.montgomeryparks.org
Sherwood Gardens
4310 Underwood Rd, Baltimore, MD 21218
www.sherwoodgardens.org
Sotterley Plantation
44300 Sotterley Ln, Hollywood, MD 20636
www.sotterley.org
William Paca House and Garden
186 Prince George St, Annapolis, MD 21401
Virginia
Blandy Experimental Farm
400 Blandy Farm Ln, Boyce, VA 22620
Chesapeake Arboretum
624 Old Oak Grove Rd, Chesapeake, VA 23320
www.cityofchesapeake.net
Edith J. Carrier Arboretum
MSC 3705
780 University Blvd, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
Hahn Horticulture Garden
200 Garden Ln, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061
www.hahngarden.vt.edu
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
1800 Lakeside Ave, Richmond, VA 23228
www.lewisginter.org
Maymount Park
2201 Shields Lake Dr, 1700 Hampton St, Richmond, VA 23220
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct, Vienna, VA 22182
www.novaparks.com/parks/meadowlark-botanical-gardens
Norfolk Botanical Garden
6700 Azalea Garden Rd, Norfolk, VA 23518
www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org
Williamsburg Botanical Garden
5537 Centerville Rd, Williamsburg, VA 23188
www.williamsburgbotanicalgarden.org
This list represents just some of the countless collaborations of botanical gardens throughout the DMV. By extension, you will find myriad more options not only across the DMV but throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, and other nearby regions (depending on where you hail from).
The point is to get out back in nature and enjoy the springtime buds as they break dormancy and quite literally “spring” back to life. Learn more about what each location featured on the list has to offer, specifically, as well as details about visiting, parking, and admission on the corresponding website links provided.